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AltonaCAN - Simply in Season

 

In 2005, Mennonite Central Committee published a cookbook called, “Simply in Season.” It is a delightful 

work that gently invites us to eat fresh, seasonal foods instead of relying on the mono-culture of produce 

found in supermarkets year-round. 

Here in Manitoba, we have four very distinct seasons. I lived in a tropical climate for a number of years 

where temperatures and daylight hours varied only slightly throughout the year. After a few years I found 

this quite monotonous. When I came back home I gained a renewed appreciation for the ever-changing 

seasons in this part of the world. 

As I reflect on the many tidbits of writing scattered throughout, “Simply in Season,” I am reminded that a 

sustainable lifestyle requires two things of us all – living more simply and making the most of each 

season. 

Living more simply is not as simple as it sounds. Every day we are bombarded with messages telling us 

that in order to be happier and more fulfilled we need to buy more stuff, travel more widely, participate in 

more activities and eat “fast” and “processed” food. Mostly we believe these lies.   

Yet, if we are to survive as a human race with any degree of social justice, we will need to move toward 

simplified lifestyles. Our earth simply does not provide enough resources for all of its citizens to live the 

consumptive lifestyles we have become used to in the western world. 

Living more simply will mean different things for different people. For my Ruth and me, it means walking 

or biking more, down-sizing to become a one-vehicle family, growing most of our own vegetables and, if 

at all possible, purchasing whatever else we need locally. That may not seem like much, but we are in 

transition.  

And that brings me to the idea of making the most of each season. Supermarkets and shopping malls 

have pretty much obliterated seasons for most of us. Apart from seasonal changes in the clothing stores, 

most everything remains the same all year round. We can buy California lettuce and “notional” tomatoes 

any day of the year, plus fruit from the farthest corners of the world. And no matter what the weather, 

we are accustomed to climbing into our climate-controlled vehicles and burning precious fuel to get 

ourselves around. 

"Simply in Season" is available on Amazon
 

So the lifestyles we have adopted have gradually removed us from living well “in season.” A simpler 

lifestyle re-connects us with the diverse challenges and delights that each season brings. My favorite 

season is autumn. It is the time of the year when we eat mostly from our garden. All year I look forward 

to biting into that first vine-ripened tomato as well as other organically grown vegetables fresh from the 

garden. And the colours of autumn never cease to amaze me. 

I am convinced that the more we simplify our lives the more we will get in touch with our four distinct 

seasons – a blessing we cannot really afford to miss.

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